


The Making of Traditions

by LadyOxymoron



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, But mostly fluff, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Family Feels, Fluff, Immortal Husbands, Immortality, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Other Canonical Ships, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:20:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21908101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyOxymoron/pseuds/LadyOxymoron
Summary: Alec, Magnus, and Christmas through the years.***Written for the SHBINGO square "Christmas Fic".
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 22
Kudos: 119
Collections: SHBingo





	The Making of Traditions

**1.**

It’s their first Christmas together and Magnus goes all out on the loft. He’s adamant they have to decorate everything without using magic because that’s “ _just the way it’s done, my dear.”_

“It’s time to educate you on the holiday spirit,” Magnus says when Alec grumbles, holding out a long string of lights. “We can’t have you missing out.”

Alec knows of the mundane holiday but it’s not something Shadowhunters tend to celebrate, duty before family and all that. Considering demons are not so polite to hold out causing mayhem just because it’s the holiday season, it would be hard to accomplish anyway. 

Alec doesn’t think he’s been missing out that much but Magnus’ eyes are bright, his smile is wide and unaffected. He looks _happy_ and Alec suspects this is the first year in a long time that he has someone to celebrate the holiday with. 

So Alec takes a day off and helps Magnus put the ridiculous decorations up. 

**5.**

“Alec, _don’t_ ,” Jace says, a horrified expression on his face. 

The warning comes too late, though. Alec has already taken a big bite out of the slice of cake he’s holding.

The acidic taste hits his tongue first, quickly followed by a few salty lumps and the disgusting feeling of soaked, slimy pastry that sticks over the roof of his mouth and on his teeth. 

He coughs and puts down the offending cake, looking at Izzy, aghast, because he _knows_ she must be responsible for this. 

She looks back at him, expectant. 

Jace laughs so hard he snorts.

Alec draws in a deep breath through his nose and tries to swallow the sticky mess to no avail. Horrified, he holds out his hand and grabs a glass, nodding gratefully when it magically fills up with water. He gulps it down, until he can swallow everything down, grimacing at the lingering taste.

“Oh, don’t be overdramatic, darling,” Magnus says, lips twitching at the corners. “I’m sure our dear Isabelle did a delightful job.”

“Yeah, if she was looking to develop a new weapon of mass destruction,” Alec mutters under his breath. Then louder he says, “Why don’t you try it, then?”

Magnus’ smile freezes in place and Alec winces as he feels a kick on his shin. 

“I am afraid I can’t possibly eat one more bite,” Magnus says, patting his stomach and smiling apologetically at Izzy. “But if there will be some of it left, I’ll be delighted to have it tomorrow.”

Alec snorts as Jace starts laughing again. His mom coughs to hide her own laugh and hastily grabs the napkin Luke is holding out, using it to cover her mouth. Soon, everyone is giggling, Izzy included. 

Alec settles back in his chair and looks at the people laughing around the table. At their _family_. 

This is the fifth year he spends Christmas with Magnus, and the third one they celebrate with everyone else.

It may be a mundane holiday but it brings them together year after year. 

Maybe new traditions are not so bad, after all. 

**6.**

The following Christmas, there are more people around their dinner table. 

Alec figures that since this mundane holiday is supposed to be about family, then Magnus deserves to have his own to celebrate with. 

He texts an invitation to Catarina and Madzie and one to Raphael. 

Alec is genuinely happy to have Catarina and Madzie over and, as much as the grouchy ex-vampire and Alec have never fully seen things eye to eye, there is a newfound respect between the two of them. 

Besides, Alec is aware Raphael is like a son to Magnus. And that means Alec can bear a few hours of his company for Magnus’ sake. 

Magnus’ bright smile as he greets their guests is more than worth it. 

**8.**

“ _What_ ,” Alec says, eyeing the hideous figurine in horror. “What the fuck is this?”

“It’s a reindeer,” Jace says, pointing at the _thing_ that might look like a fucking reindeer _after_ it’s been run over a few times. “Or at least, that was what the mundane woman in the store said when she recommended it. Aren’t reindeers supposed to be festive?”

“Jace,” Clary warily says before Alec can say something he’s gonna regret. “What _exactly_ did you do to that poor woman?”

Alec snorts and turns to Jace, eyebrow cocked up. 

“What?” Jace asks, crossing his arms over his chest and turning expectantly to each of them in turn. His gaze stays on Magnus, the only person that’s not openly snickering. “Why would you think that?”

“Don’t look at me, dear,” Magnus says, hiding his smile behind his glass. “I am certain you were your usual charming self.”

Jaces smiles smugly at Alec as if to say _see?_ But the smile dies on his lips as soon as Magnus loses it and starts to laugh with the others.

“I am sorry, Jace,” Magnus says, laughing so hard he needs to sit down. “But you must have pissed her spectacularly off if she recommended you that...” he trails off and starts to laugh again as his eyes land on the _thing_. “Reindeer.”

“I don’t see what’s wrong with it,” Jace says but now his lips are twitching in amusement too. 

“Besides looking like it’s gonna come alive and murder us in our sleep?” Alec asks, eyeing warily the _thing’s_ beady eyes, only half joking. 

They end up having a heated but playful argument about the redeeming qualities of the horrible thing and the general consensus is that there aren’t any. 

Jace, of course, disagrees, so Madzie ends up suggesting they name the reindeer after Jace since he likes it so much.

It elicits a chorus of assent and another round of laughter.

Much later, when everyone else has left, Magnus suggests placing Jace The (Unfortunate) Reindeer on the mantle of their fireplace. 

Alec scowls at Magnus. “But _why,_ Magnus?” he asks in a low whine. “It’s gonna give me a scare every time I look at it.” 

“Consider it this way,” Magnus says, walking closer and taking Alec’s hand in his own. “That reindeer is atrocious but your brother went as far as going to a mundane store to buy us a gift, humoring this little tradition we started.”

Alec looks warily at the _thing_. It still looks like it may very well slaughter both of them in their sleep but it is, indeed, a reminder that Jace went out of his way to buy them something. 

He sighs heavily and places the cursed thing on the mantle. 

Isn’t it the thought that counts?

**10.**

Alec glances at the clock for what has to be the tenth time in the last half an hour, sighing when he notices it’s not time to leave yet. He has a reminder on his phone to make sure he won’t be late but the urge to check the time wins over reason.

This year, Magnus wants to cook everything from scratch and Alec has promised he would be there to help him. He does intend to be there on time, everything else be damned. 

Alec has just finished to check and approve the patrol schedule when his alarm goes off. He makes short work of signing it and calls it a day. 

When he steps inside the loft, the sound of Magnus’ laughter is the first thing Alec hears. He smiles and starts to walk toward the sound, following it to the threshold of the kitchen, where Alec stops in his tracks. 

He takes a step back to observe the scene in front of him without being seen.

His mom is there, a holiday themed apron wrapped around her front. She’s chatting with Magnus as they place raw cookies on a big baking pan. 

“No, no, no,” she says, laughter in her voice, and Alec can’t help but smile because happiness looks good on her. “You’re doing it all wrong, Magnus. Look.” She rearranges some of the cookies. “We’ll have more space like this.”

“Fine, fine,” Magnus says, the amusement in his voice belying the suffering sigh he lets out. “We’ll do it your way.”

“Because it’s clearly the superior way.” His mother places the last of the cookies in the pan, pulls back and smirks at Magnus.

Magnus laughs softly and opens the oven, murmuring a soft “Thank you,” as Maryse hands him the pan. 

Once the cookies are in the oven, his mom turns to Magnus. “What are we doing next?” She asks, running a hand through her hair, unaware of the long streak of flour her fingers leave behind.

“Maybe we could start on the appetizers,” Magnus says, trying to keep a straight face but failing. He tilts his head as Alec tries to bite back his own laugh. “And maybe Alexander can stop hiding and help us, will you, darling?”

Alec laughs and steps out of the shadows. He kisses Magnus hello and then walks to his mom, pulling her into a tight hug. 

“I wasn’t expecting to find you here,” he says, smiling at her as he pulls back. 

“I figured you two could use a little help,” she says and her bright smile makes Alec’s heart swell with affection. 

“Thank you,” Alec murmurs, stepping back. Then he points at her head and smirks at her. “Oh, and mom, you’ve got flour on your hair.”

The old Maryse would have never allowed something as mundane and unseemly as flour to blemish her perfectly coiffed hair. This one laughs, her eyes crinkling at the corners, and looks down at her dirty hands. A mischievous look flashes over her face and Alec has barely registered it when she reaches out and ruffles his hair. 

“So do you, son,” she says, laughing harder at his undignified yelp. 

Magnus joins in the laughter, taking advantage of the moment to snap a few pictures of the two of them. He ends up with matching streaks of flour, courtesy of Alec, but instead of protesting, he just laughs and enchants them to stay.

“They will make a nice addition to the outfit I’ve planned for tonight,” he says, voice really, really soft. 

They end up taking a few more pictures and Alec knows that he will look at them for years to come and remember this moment. 

**12.**

It’s their twelfth Christmas together and everyone is laughing and chattering pleasantly after their usual dinner. 

Magnus is playing the perfect host but he keeps throwing worried glances at Alec when he thinks Alec is not looking. 

Alec has been trying to hide the tight ball of anxiety that’s taken residence inside of his chest but Magnus is, as usual, a keen observer, especially when it comes to Alec. 

The folded piece of paper and what it represents seems to weigh like lead inside of Alec’s pocket. It’s a big and frightening thing and Alec is appropriately terrified but he doesn’t want Magnus to worry so he makes sure to smile warmly at him the next time they make eye contact. 

As soon as their guests leave, Magnus is on him. “What is wrong, darling?”

“Nothing, It’s just-” Alec stops and shakes his head.

“What is it?” Magnus presses, worry etched in the lines of his handsome face. 

Alec just takes out the piece of paper and shoves it into Magnus’ hand, forgetting how to breathe as Magnus unfolds it and stares at the rune drawn on the paper. 

“Alexander,” Magnus says, slow and wary. “Is this the Alliance rune?”

“Not exactly,” Alec answers. “It’s been altered to, you know, be permanent.”

It takes a few seconds for his words to sink in and when they do, Alec sees Magnus’ eyes widen before getting suspiciously bright.

Magnus opens his mouth as if to speak but no sound comes out, then he clears his throat and shakes his head, features hardening. “No.”

“I- _what_?”

Magnus shakes his head again and there’s regret painted on his face. “You don’t know what you’re playing with, Alexander.”

“I just know that I don’t wanna leave you behind, Magnus.” 

“You foolish boy,” Magnus says, harsh and broken. Then he takes a deep breath to calm himself and smiles apologetically at Alec. “Immortality is a curse, darling. You have no idea-”

“But I do,” Alec interrupts, because yes, he does. He’s spent the last year considering it, weighing all the considerable cons against the few pros. “I do, Magnus. And I still want it, if you’ll have me.”

“You think I don’t want to keep you forever?” Magnus asks, abruptly turning around, away from Alec. “But immortality comes with a steep price to pay and I would never want you to go through that particular brand of pain.”

Alec knows Magnus means every word. He also knows what Magnus isn’t saying. That he’s afraid the price will be too high and Alec will come to resent him. 

Alec isn’t fool enough to think everything will go smoothly. He isn’t fool enough to not recognize Magnus’ concerns as valid. He _is_ fool enough to want to try despite everything else. 

“I’ve thought about this, Magnus,” he says, taking a step forward and placing his hand over Magnus’ shoulder. “I still want it.”

Magnus slowly turns around and when he faces him, Alec can see the war of emotion on his face. “Would you consider thinking about it some more, darling? If this is still what you want afterwards, I will not try to talk you out of it.”

Alec considers protesting but this concession is more than he was expecting. He’d been expecting Magnus to put up more of a fight and he’s willing to wait if it means putting Magnus’ mind at ease. 

“Deal,” he says, closing the distance and kissing Magnus. 

**15.**

It takes Alec three years to convince Magnus that _forever_ with him is what Alec wants. 

They draw the runes in the privacy of their house, on their fifteenth Christmas together, after all of their guests have left. 

**30.**

They don’t host this year. 

His mother has come up with a nasty cold and given her old age, they have decided to break their little thirty year old tradition and head to Maryse and Luke’s place instead. 

“This is lovely, Magnus,” his mom says, gesturing to the table arrangement. She smiles and it lights up her entire face. For a moment, she looks young again. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, Maryse,” Magnus says, smiling back at her. “We wouldn’t have wanted to miss Christmas with you and Lucian.”

 _Considering it could very well be one of the last Christmases we spend together,_ Alec thinks.

Alec looks around himself, reads the same thought in the faces of his siblings and their extended family. 

He looks at Luke and his mother, still in love and happy despite the day to day struggles. As much as Alec doesn’t want to admit it, they are growing old and he intends to spend as much time as possible with them, while he still can. 

“Yeah,” he says with a smile of his own. “We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

**50.**

They don’t celebrate their fiftieth Christmas. 

It’s their first Christmas without Jace and the loss is still too fresh to consider it. 

The Parabatai rune has been gone for a few months now but Alec still wakes up during the night clutching his side as phantom pain radiates from there to his heart, settling there permanently. 

It’s a little past eleven and Alec is sitting on the couch, staring into space when Magnus walks in and heads toward the fireplace. 

Magnus places Jace The Reindeer on the mantle and Alec chokes back something between a laugh and a sob at the sight of it. He watches as Magnus takes out a small candle and settles it right next to the reindeer, using a match to light it up. 

When Magnus sits next to him, Alec shifts closer and takes his hand, lacing their fingers together. 

They sit like that, in silence, well past midnight. They sit there until the candle burns out. 

Alec squeezes Magnus’ hand. 

_Thank you._

**51.**

They host again the next year. The pain still comes in tides and his grief seems to intensify as December approaches but Alec knows they have still family left. 

Family to celebrate Christmas with. 

It may be a little bit more somber than the previous years but they’re together and that’s what matters.

**100.**

On their hundredth Christmas together, they travel to Europe. It’s just the two of them, right like they started. 

They leave on December 1th and Christmas’ eve sees them in Helsinki, visiting the seasonal markets and walking through the snowy roads.

The day whips by in a frenzy of activity and Alec barely notices how cold he is until they’re walking back to their hotel, hands deep in their pockets, shoulders brushing.

An ill-timed confluence of distraction and a patch of ice causes Alec to slip and fall on his ass, which in turn causes Magnus to laugh for as long as it takes Alec to reach out and drag him onto the ice right next to him.

Magnus gasps dramatically but the amused twitch of his lips belies the outrage written on his face. 

Alec starts to chuckle and soon they are both laughing themselves hoarse, uncaring of the cold ice and the steady fall of snowflakes. 

Alec is the first to recover. He slowly stands and helps Magnus to his feet with an effortless tug of his arms. Magnus tries to fight his lingering smile and plaster the mock-outrage back in place and he looks so adorable Alec has to draw him into a hug.

"I love you but you deserved that," Alec says as he pulls back.

Magnus pretends to pout and dusts snow off his coat. “I’ve married a brute.”

Alec laughs at Magnus’ dramatics and resumes the walking, tugging Magnus along. "I'm not sure what to do with you sometimes," he murmurs, letting some of the fondness that’s filling his chest slip into his voice.

“Oh, darling, I could think of a few things,” Magnus says, his frame shaken by silent laughter. 

Alec snorts and keeps walking. The snow is falling heavily now, and despite his fatigue and the cold seeping into his bones, Alec enjoys the sight, the feel of it. 

Things haven’t always been uncomplicated but the easy banter between the two of them is still there, despite the passing of the time.

The ring of distant church bells make Alec slow down. "Listen," he murmurs, turning around. "It’s midnight."

Magnus stops, too, turning to face Alec, a soft smile on his lips. "So it seems."

“We didn’t make it to our room," Alec says, but he doesn’t really care because all he can think about is the warmth in Magnus’ eyes, the snowflakes clinging to the ends of his dark hair, and just how close they are standing. “To toast.”

“We have all night, darling,” Magnus says, shifting close enough to warm Alec’s lips with his breath.

The bell chimes one last time. The echo of its sound lingers in the air for a few seconds and then fades. 

_It’s Christmas,_ Alec thinks, and his mind is suddenly flooded with memories of people long gone. Memories that ache and spread and wrap around him like a blanket. 

Losing most of the people he loved has been harder than Alec imagined. A part of him will always mourn the family he’s lost but another part of him will cherish the family he has left. His nephews and nieces and their kids after them. The people he doesn’t share blood with but that are family nonetheless. Magnus. 

"I know what you are thinking," Magnus murmurs, picking up on his mod shift. "You have that nostalgic look on your face, the one reserved for the holidays." 

Alec hums in agreement because there’s no point in denying it. He shivers as a gust of wind hits them from the side.

Magnus smiles at him and his eyes are kind when he speaks. "Come on," he says, stepping back. "Let's go get you warm."

Getting warm sounds heavenly but first Alec has to make sure Magnus knows he still has no regrets. It is a constant reminder and one Alec doesn’t mind giving, year after year.

"Magnus," he whispers, and then discards the rest of the sentence in favor of closing the distance and threading both of his hands into Magnus’ hair, pulling him into a kiss. 

Magnus kisses him back, his hands steady over Alec’s hips, pulling him closer as the snow continues to fall around them, all over them. He kisses Alec back hard, until Alec is in freefall, a whirlwind of emotions pinning him into the moment and rendering him breathless with the enormity of the love he still feels for this man. That he knows he will _always_ feel.

“To the next hundred years,” Alec says, going for another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> If you've made it to the end, thank you for reading. <3
> 
> I'm the Grinch and this fic was a fun challenge to write. :)
> 
> Again, thank you to the Bingo organizers and happy holidays, everyone!
> 
> (If you want to say hi, I'm on tumblr and twitter with the same handle.)


End file.
